At the present time, the recycling of discarded tires has constituted a serious problem worldwide, since, in principle, one of the main uses of such tires is to relocate them in the automobile market with the safety problems which that entails.
As noted in an article of the newspaper Ambito Financiero dated Nov. 28, 1995, page 10, columns 4 through 6, " . . . no efficient method to degrade used rubber has been discovered yet. Experiments are being made to use it as fuel for boilers. As an example of the difficulties that the developed countries have as regards the disposal of this kind of waste . . . Some entrepreneurs found the solution and the gold-mine at the same time: the exportation to developing nations of used tires `In the last few years thousands of containers of scrap goods have come to Argentina: in addition to endangering the life of automobile drivers they constitute a menace to the local industry of tires and to job opportunities` . . . ".
As observed in the first part of this article, no efficient method has been obtained so far for the degradation of rubber. In a similar vein, the same predicament exists with respect to plastic, for which reason an ecologically optimal way is to reuse these materials so that they do not turn into waste. The main goal of this invention refers precisely to the creation of a new raw material with sufficient versatility so as to be base material for several industrial applications.
There exist in the market methods of reusing tires, which employ at most 20% of the used tires, to which virgin rubber is added and the result is a product used for the manufacture of, for example, solid tires for tricycles or bicycles, carpeting for automobiles, etc., with a reduced cost with respect to a product made entirely with virgin rubber. However, it is problematic that these methods, as well as other methods which process recycled tires for use, reject the use of fabric and/or metal residues (existing in tires) which are burnt or thrown away.
In order to expand on even more the description of the field of application of used tires, reference is made to the book Gestion Integral de Residuos Solidos (integral treatment of solid residues) which on pages 856 through 859, paragraph 15.13, makes direct reference to the handling of used tires in the United States. This book mentions that " . . . Every year in the United States approximately 281 million tires are replaced. It is estimated that 237 million are discarded. Ten million are reused and 33 million are recapped or retreaded. !From 2 to 3 billion tires have remained stored in piles, and some millions more have been dumped illegally. Approximately 14 per cent of the discarded tires are used for fuel; it is estimated that 5 per cent is used for chipboard, rubber powder and miscellaneous uses and 4 per cent is exported . . . ".
The foregoing information, and the specific numerical examples above being taken into account, the large quantity of existing base material is clearly appreciated, and furthermore, as observed in the same book " . . . Generally, there are no specifications for the recycling of used tires because many of the applications are new and are not developed completely. The specifications for reusable tires vary according to the recappers, retreaders and remanufacturers of tires."